Monday, March 12, 2012

Frayed by Blakely Chorpenning: Guest Post

Frayed: A Madison Lark Novella

Fray loves being a semi-pro fighter and free spirit. However, when a deadly faction begins abducting supernatural teens in the Blue Hills of North Carolina for excruciating experiments, she quickly learns there is more to life than glitzy opponents and late night trysts. Fray and a crew of unlikely allies must rescue the children before they are dissected alive. Being a leopard shapeshifter helps. Confronting personal prejudice and traversing feelings for a tempestuous ex do not mix. But Fray is willing to go all the way to stop her world from changing. That is, until the ultimate sacrifice forces her to realize just how overdue change is.

I write it. I love it. I want some more of it. So much that I read it when I’m not busy writing it.

My genre -drug- of choice is urban fantasy. I guess you can say I write about love and death, the two things no one escapes. And THAT is what this blog is about.

Literature. Film. Art. Complete generations. Whole culture.

Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Anne Rice’s melancholic Interview with the Vampire.

John Everett Millais’ haunting painting Ophelia.

The cult following of Stephenie Meyer’s vampire saga Twilight.

The basis of salvation after death present in many religions.

Love and death have become a part of us. Sometimes they seep into our bone marrow and remind us of simple pleasures. But sometimes they slink into our hearts through a tiny valve and ignite a ravenous passion.

So here is the pertinent question: Where do we draw the line between romanticized ideals and, well, the unfluffy truth? I think it all comes down to dead, undead, and once dead things found everywhere from love stories to supernatural battles to horrific tales that leave us all heebie jeebied and twitchy.

Let’s get technical for a moment. I’m only going to highlight the more popular paranormal, supernatural, “Holy-baby-Jesus-that-looks-worse-than-my-DMV-photo!” creatures so as not to confuse myself or you. (Keep in mind that these are merely my own interpretations. You’re more than welcome to label the crusty living-challenged things you play with any way you see fit.)

I totally see the attraction of ghosts. So a few come back to haunt the crap out of someone? Boo hoo. What are the odds, right? They can also return to right a wrong, help you find that something special you lost (like that coupon to Starbucks), or -to yank a heartstring- say “I love you” one last time. How many of you would kindly tell Patrick Swayze to spirit his non-corporeal self back to the wherever? Ummm… Yeah. And probably not before asking him to shake that hot “boo-tay” first. No, no, don’t be ashamed. Demi Moore couldn’t do it, either. *wink, wink*

And undead sex-gods? A must have for any libido! Because, unlike ghosts, we have just entered the “sexy-time” zone. So what if vampires are technically undead? The upside? They don’t seem to need showers. They have a tendency to shun technology. And they are like the worst consumers ever. How much greener can you get? Save the earth! Go bloodsucker! Yeah, I think I just found my new slogan for the year. Ha.

Oh…and then we have the once dead. Not many bootie calls in this department…I hope. But I’m certainly not judging. (Other than the retching noise and completely necessary eye-gouging, I’m not judging…because you may kill me and dress me in bootie shorts. And NO ONE wants to see me in bootie shorts!) However, be warned: You may run your bootie off trying to stay alive. The many forms of zombies are probably the scariest because they are what we will all be –rotting flesh. Harsh, I know. It chills that ancient part of our human animal that’s always in tune with mortality, always calculating to extend an hour, to live to see tomorrow, to strive for a wrinkled, gray exit.

Wow, that was bleak, even for me. Quick, think of Antonio Banderas. Think of Alexander Skarsgard. (As always, clothes are optional.)

Just take a moment to regroup.

Not a whole minute.

…Hello?...

…Umm…

This is…awkward…

For those of you done mentally embracing Antonio and Alexander, here’s the rundown:

Dead = Emotional catharsis unattainable through retail therapy

Undead = “Bow-chicka-bow-wow!”

Once Dead = “…Shouldn’t you be running by now?”

Whether our minds are on love, sex, death, fear, or all of the above… There’s a book for that! There’s a character somewhere waiting to fulfill those needs, soothe those fears, and help you rock your life like Madonna does your laundry.

THAT’S why I love supernatural fiction. It reminds me to live vividly, love passionately, and embrace that spark of wild found in everyone’s heart.

What’s your excuse?

Please share your favorite paranormal author, book, or character with us. Or just let us know why you love paranormal fiction.

Frayed: A Madison Lark Novella is available on Amazon, Barnesandnoble.com, as well as many other retailers. For more information, please visit www.blakelychorpenning.com. You can also find me on my blog indiscriminatewrites.blogspot.com, http://pinterest.com/bchorpenning, and twitter as bchorpenning.

Also, look for my “new adult” book Souled Out coming in April 2012.

Frayed Synopsis:

Fray loves being a semi-pro fighter and free spirit. However, when a deadly faction begins abducting supernatural teens in the Blue Hills of North Carolina for excruciating experiments, she quickly learns there is more to life than glitzy opponents and late night trysts. Fray and a crew of unlikely allies must rescue the children before they are dissected alive. Being a leopard shapeshifter helps. Confronting personal prejudice and traversing feelings for a tempestuous ex do not mix. But Fray is willing to go all the way to stop her world from changing. That is, until the ultimate sacrifice forces her to realize just how overdue change is. Her most shocking discovery: Everyone's human. At least a little...

Frayed Excerpt:

Dome lights toasted the blood streaking from brow to breastbone, turning it to liquid heat on my flesh. The sensation thrilled like the first touch of a lover, and when I realized it wasn’t mine the pleasure spike awoke a fever calling to that part of me that was never human. I wanted to relinquish my human bonds, unleash that feral leopard energy for real, but that was against the rules. This time. Instead, I smiled like the devil and I were sharing a beer in hell and hook-punched Danica, my opponent, in the face. Scarlet splatters filled the air like tiny dancers. I closed my eyes, smiling as the fresh blood caressed my tender eyelids and the hyper sensitive pout of my lips.

This is my moment, the point in every fight when they see what they did wrong.

I have a three-year-old with an imagination to rival my own, a fussy baby in the guise of an eighty-five pound bloodhound, a herd of cats (okay, three), a husband running amuck in there somewhere, and a one hundred-year-old Christmas Cactus my grandmother gave me that threatens to die every time I look at it. Right now it's in the, "Ack, I think you've poisoned me because you're evil!" phase.

This is the part where I tell you that writing is my drug. In all seriousness, though, I write because it frees a wildness in my heart. It also serves as a reminder that each soul has a purpose, and that it's okay to sympathize with the bad guys because, let's face it, we're all a little bad sometimes.

I strive to create realistic characters facing inner struggles and issues that inevitably force them to change. For better or worse? Please judge for yourself. Of course, it wouldn't be a true crisis without some type of supernatural shenanigan. And maybe a love interest that makes you whisper, "Bastard," before cursing yourself for smiling.

If you love urban fantasy/supernatural fiction and badass female MC's who don't think they know everything, please check back often for news about my debut release, Frayed: A Madison Lark Novella.

Thank you for taking the time to check me out. I promise not to get offended if you come back and do it again.

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